Device for cleaning and greasing conveyer bands



F. HAUG 2,018,719

DEVICE FOR CLEANING AND GREASING CONVEYER BANDS Oct. 29, 1935.

Filed Feb. 6, 1955 mm W MA R, w ,m

P m M I Rm D M F% UNITED STATE ENT OFFICE DEVICE ron CLEANING ANDGREASING CONVEYER BANDS Friedrich Hang, Stuttgart-Munster, Germany,

assignor to Baker Perkins Company,

Inc.,

Saginaw, Mich., a corporation of New York Application February 6, 1935,Serial No. 5,242 In Germany May 23, 1934 4 Claims. (01. 198-230) Thisinvention relates to means for cleaning and greasing sheet metalconveyer bands such as are commonly employed in bake ovens, and pertainsmore particularly to a progressively changing element for wiping theband and a novel means for actuating the element so as to change itscleaning surface while keeping it continuously in wiping contact withthe band.

An object of the invention is to avoid certain disadvantages of earliercleaning devices. Heretofore the cleaning was usually done in part bymeans of wire brushes which loosened the crumbs and larger particlesadhering to the steel band and in part by means of stationary wipersmade of cloth or leather, and used for the final cleaning. However, itwas found that after running a short time the wiper became soiled bycrumbs and fat and thereafter repeatedly smeared the cleaned part of theoven conveyer band. Moreover, the greasing pad sometimes picked upparticles of material from the steel band and guided them towards thegrease container, soiling the grease as it was being supplied.Satisfactory cleaning by stationary or rotary brushes followed bystationary pads could not be assured, especially when the oven band ranat a fairly high rate of travel.

When baking certain kinds of very sensitive goods which show even slightamounts of impurity, the baker usually had to resort to cleaning theband by hand before adding another charge of goods, a task which, onaccount of the width of the band, generally required two operators.

Further objects of this invention are, to attain at all band speedscommercially perfect cleaning of the band; to do away with manual laborfor cleaning; to cause the cleaning element to slowly pass over its lineof mutual contact with the band and thus to continually supply anew areaof cloth for cleaning; to provide, in the form of a long sheet, a supplyof cleaning cloth sufficient to last while being progressively fed asabove described during a complete operating period of the oven; toprovide a simple mounting for the cleaning cloth whereby the used supplycan be quickly and easily removed and a fresh supply installed; toprovide means for feeding the cloth at a rate proportional to the rateof travel of the oven band, and to-vary that proportion.

In order to obtain faultless biscuits, deposited goods and certain typesof moulded goods, it is necessary to completely clean and then greasethe steel conveyor band before applying the next charge of material.

Qther objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter. The invention accordingly comprises the elements andcombination of elements, features of construction and arrangements ofparts which will be exemplified in the structure hereinafter described,and the scope of the application of which will be indicated 5 in theclaims.

The accompanying drawing shows diagrammatically a preferred embodimentof my invention.

A typical oven equipment to which my invene tion is adapted to beapplied consists of an oven band i, traveling on a rotatable drum 2, arotary brush or sweeper 4 for removing larger particles from the band asit issues from the oven, and a greasing device, G.

My improvement comprises a cleaning cloth made of fabric, such as hempor canvas that contacts with the band across its entire width. The lineof contact is on the periphery of a progressively winding roll of thecloth, so that the outer convolution of the cloth continually presentsto the band a fresh surface where the roll and band are mutually incontact. The roll of cloth for wiping the band is designated by numeral3, and 3a is a reserve supply of clean cloth, the form shown being aroll mounted on shaft it from which cloth is fed progressively along therun I'l.

Novel means is provided to feed the cloth from roll 3a to roll 3progressively and at a predetermined rate proportional to the rate oftravel of band I. It consists of a crank l3 fixed to the shaft of drum2, a link 5 pivoted at one end to the crank, a piece 6 pivoted to theother end of link 5 and slidable lengthwise on an oscillatable lever Gawhich is pivoted intermediate its ends on shaft l2. A hand wheel I screwconnected to the piece 6, is employed to vary the throw of lever 6a. Apawl 8 is mounted on the free end of lever 6a; so as to actuate aratchet wheel l4 rotatably mounted on shaft l2. A gear l8, fixed to theratchet wheel l4, meshes with a second gear l9 which is fixed to a drumshaft l5. By this progressive feeding means the rotation of crank [3causes roll 3 to rotate with an intermittent step-by-step movement, thefrequency of which'is proportional to the rate of travel of band I, itsamplitude and the extent of such feeding movement being adjustable bymeans of hand wheel 1.

Novel means is also provided for maintaining uniform yielding pressureof the cloth against the conveyer band, regardless of the varying sizeof the roll 3. An arm or pair of arms, I0, is pivotally mounted on thesupporting shaft I 2. An end of arm Ill projects downwardly and at itslower end is secured a tension spring II that 2 i i A tends to draw arml toward drum 2. The shaft and drum l5, carrying roll 3, are mounted forrotation in arm II], as shown. An upwardly projecting part of arm l0carries a detent 9 that engages the ratchet wheel [4.

By this means a good contact of the cloth is maintained with the ovenband, although the diameter of the roll is changing, the roll 3 actingas a backing pad for the wiping portion of the cloth.

While I have shown an arrangement of working parts wherebycounter-clockwise rotation is imparted to roll 3, it is to be understoodthat the roll may be rotated clockwise instead, by a mere rearrangementof the driving parts, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art,and therefore is not here described in detail.

The shaft I5 is preferably arranged to permit the removal andreplacement of the roll 3 when it becomes necessary to change it for afresh supply.

With the device herein described, the greasing element G may bedispensed with, and the wiping cloth ll may be saturated with grease inorder to simultaneously perform the greasing and wiping functions.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A cleaning device for an oven band traveling on a rotatable drumcomprising, in combination, a roll of cloth positioned with itsperiphery in line contact with the band throughout the width of theband, a reserve supply of cloth connected to said roll, roll rotatingmeans, and means yieldingly urging said roll into wiping engagement withsaid band along said line of contact.

2. A cleaning device for an oven band traveling on a rotatable drumcomprising, in combination, a roll of cloth positioned with itsperiphery in line contact with the band throughout the width of theband, a reserve supply of cloth connected to said roll, an arm mountedfor oscillatory movement toward and from said band and carrying saidroll, spring means yieldingly urging said arm toward said band, andmeans for progressively rotating said roll while in contact with theband.

3. A cleaning device for an oven band traveling on a rotatable drumcomprising, in combination, a roll of cloth positioned with itsperiphery in line contact with the band throughout the width of theband, a shaft carrying said roll, gears for rotating said shaft, apawl-driven ratchet wheel actuating said gears and means operable fromsaid drum for actuating said ratchet wheel proportionally to the rate ofrotation of the drum, a reserve supply of cloth connected to said roll,and spring means maintaining a constant pressure of the roll against theband.

4. A structure as set forth in claim 3 wherein the roll is mounted onpivotally mounted arms, and a tension spring is connected to said armstending to urge said roll toward said band.

FRIEDRICH HAUG.

